Costa Rica prepare for a tough task ahead as they take on Suriname, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico in the Group A of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The ‘Ticos,’ as they are called, are seeking their first Gold Cup trophy. However, when looking at the players called up for the mission, one heavy name is missing: Joel Campbell.

As plenty of top stars prepare to take the spotlight, Campbell won’t. Costa Rica’s manager, Miguel ‘Piojo’ Herrera, didn’t call the forward as part of the national team. This was a tactical decision due to Campbell’s poor level and low amount of minutes played in the last year.

Campbell was one of the frontmen of a Costa Rica team that has qualified for the last three FIFA World Cups. However, even if other men like Keylor Navas are still on the national team, Campbell’s time as Costa Rica’s main forward seems to be a thing of the past.

What other players were left out of Costa Rica’s selection?

Alongside Campbell, another otherwise key player from Costa Rica is missing. Celso Borges, who actually is a Campbell teammate at LDA in Costa Rica, was also left out of the squad.

Borges retired from international football. However, his good level at the domestic scene made people and media wonder if he was going to be a part of Miguel Herrera’s final selection. Navas was also retired from the national team, but the coach managed to convince him to come back.

How many soccer stars are not going to the 2025 Gold Cup?

The 2025 Gold Cup will miss tons of players, not only Joel Campbell. Injuries, tactical decisions or simply refusals to play are part of the game. Soccer stars have been on a massive fatigue run this year. After finishing what is a long season, some of them had to go to the FIFA Club World Cup. This tournament is played at the same time of the Gold Cup.

Players like Christian Pulisic (USA), Henry Martin (Mexico), Mariano Díaz (Dominican Republic), and Alphonso Davies (Canada) will also miss action. These are just a few of the big names that won’t feature in this soccer tournament.

Then, Costa Rica made the impossible. The Ticos won four of their last five matches, collected 13 out of those 15 points and clinched a spot in the intercontinental playoffs. All they needed was one more win against New Zealand. On that game, Joel Campbell scored the goal which gave Costa Rica a 1-0 victory and the ticket to their thrid consecutive World Cup in Qatar.

Joel Campbell will be one of the stars to follow for Costa Rica in a very tough Group E with Spain, Germany and Japan. Read here to find more details about the striker such as his contract and salary with Club Leon in Liga MX.

Joel Campbell’s contract with Leon: How much he makes per hour, day, week, monthand year?

Joel Campbell started his career playing for famous Saprissa in Costa Rica. In 2011, after a remarkable performance with his National Team in the Copa America, Campbellmade history after being signed by Arsenal in the Premier League. With 19-years old, the sky was the limit.

Nevertheless, injuries and distractions were key factors for Campbell’s lack of success with Arsenal and thus began a long route of teams for the player: Lorient, Betis, Olympiakos, Villarreal and Sporting CP. Many times he returned to the Gunners after those loans, but, he couldn’t make it in England. Then, on 2018, Frosinone in Italy bought him from Arsenal and, less than a year later, Club Leon signed Campbell to play in Liga MX.

Since his arrival to Mexico, Joel Campbell has been frequently in the Top 10 of best-paid players in Liga MX. According to many reports, he makes almost $1.7 million annually considering bonuses. This means $141k per month, $35k per week, $5k per day and $210 per hour.